What should be the average words per chapter?

[Takiemina]

Also, I have not explored the Forum long enough to know if someone asked the same question and I apologize for it in advance. I am quite new to the site and noticed people here post a lot of chapters per week, which is even encouraged by the site itself with its "Chapters/Week" section.

Because of that, I want to know the average word count of your chapters to have an idea of how much one should write daily to acquire an initial audience and criticism. For example, I read somewhere people write 1500~ words at once, but divide them into two chapters. I would like to know if that is the norm, because I honestly prefer to take longer to upload but have 2200~ words per chapter. Although, I might consider changing my strategy depending on your feedback.

Thank you in advance! <3

 

[Loste]

The site rewards short chaps but frequent uploads, like 1.2k-1.5k word chaps but uploads every other day

 

[LilRora]

There isn't really a single best number. Generally, the lower limit is about a thousand words per chapter - below that it's frowned upon. Past that you can do virtually whatever you want. From what I've seen though, less serious stories generally hover around 1,5k, sometimes up to 2k words per chapter with frequent updates (usually 3-5 chapters per week), while serious stories go upwards to 3-5k per chapter but tend to be updated much less frequently (1-2 times per week). There's a lot of exceptions though, and none of this is a hard rule.

 

[Keene]

It may hinder me slightly, but I'm trying to write 4k+ chapters.

I find the longer chapters are really helping me feel like I can cover sufficient ground in one sitting, instead of awkwardly breaking them up over multiple chapters.

As a reader, and my subjective opinion, I prefer longer chapters, even at the cost of a less frequent release schedule.

To take this to the very limit, I invite you to read @Knight_Rhoden work https://www.scribblehub.com/series/1028638/the-stubborn-skillgrinder-in-a-time-loop/

Which has an average chapter length of (sorry...) OVER 9000!!!

 

[xuduxixi]

Mine hovers around 1k-1.5k words and I'm updating every other day, I have a lot of backlogs though.

If you are full of passion I suggest you try writing 2k words per chapter.

 

[prognastat]

The algorithm and audience here prioritizes chapter frequency over length. I would generally recommend not going below 1k words per chapter as around that point people start complaining about chapter size.

I would recommend leaving them at 1k and focusing to getting daily releases and only then focus on increasing chapter length rather than posting multiple times per day.

Of course this is purely from a perspective on how to get the most new readers to check out your novel and might not be the best for the flow of your novel itself, but everything is going to be a compromise of things. Only you can decide what is best for you and your story.

 

[melchi]

I think that chapters should take at least 15 mins to read. This is just my opinion but 1.5K should be the lower limit. Fictions that post ~1000 word chapters 5 times a week are less enjoyable in my opinion.

However, people do that do get more visibility and sadly it works.

 

[Paul_Tromba]

800-2500 depending on how often you post

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

I would say no less than 1k and no more than 6k

 

[AutumnPlunkett]

Different things work for different authors and readers. Of course, readers will usually feel like the more they can get of their favorite story the better, but having too much can also be a bad thing for getting new viewers as it can feel overwhelming. I tend to prefer shorter chapters of 1k-2k words in length as it's easier for me to sit down and write that much in one sitting and, when I'm reading, I like to be able to get up and run errands without being in the middle of a chapter. It's like with video games, if I have to set aside an hour for a single match in some online game, that isn't as convenient as a mobile app I can open up, play for a few minutes and then close so I can go about my day. My series that I write always ends up being long enough that my readers can still binge-read. I only post 1 free chapter a week, but I write 5 chapters for Patreon every week for each of my series, so it ends up adding up to quite a lot over the course of a year. I'd say I write ~500 chapters or so every year or between 500,000 and 1,000,000 words.

 

[Cosmictapestry]

I keep mine around 1.5-2.2k. My mind wandered after 2k when I read a particularly heavy story that was more than 5k.

I couldn’t find the time to sit and read the entire chapter, ending up procrastinating entirely.

 

[Verdant]

Also, I have not explored the Forum long enough to know if someone asked the same question and I apologize for it in advance. I am quite new to the site and noticed people here post a lot of chapters per week, which is even encouraged by the site itself with its "Chapters/Week" section.

Because of that, I want to know the average word count of your chapters to have an idea of how much one should write daily to acquire an initial audience and criticism. For example, I read somewhere people write 1500~ words at once, but divide them into two chapters. I would like to know if that is the norm, because I honestly prefer to take longer to upload but have 2200~ words per chapter. Although, I might consider changing my strategy depending on your feedback.

Thank you in advance! <3

Around 1000 -1600 words, although my chapters seem to be more like 1240 - 1650 words and upload once per week. If you have a length around this, I would suggest uploading at least one chapter (preferably two or more) per week.

 

[KonoKei]

1.5k though I tend to reach 2k

 

[TwistedRomcom]

I aim for between 2000-2500 words. I usually make one chapter = one scene, though occasionally I'll have two short scenes together or split a long scene into two chapters. One reviewer said that my pacing was good with scenes taking their time without overstaying their welcome. That's exactly what I was hoping for, so it seems this length is about perfect for my writing style.

 

[RayVer]

I typically aim from anywhere from 500-1500 words, I prefer to do things in a single sitting and thus keeping within this range makes it easier,

 

[Seaspecter]

I do about 1500 to 2500 per chapter now and I post once a week.

 

[Bartun]

Mine are between 6K and 7K

 

[wresch]

You may be new to the forum, but you ask a good question. I am currently reading a lot of James Patterson. According to his jacket covers, he is the most popular author in America. Maybe a good guy to learn from. The first thing that struck me about his writing is how short his chapters are. Often just a page and a half. So short chapters may have an advantage - not just on SH, but on bestseller lists. It made me go back and reread some of my books. Long chapters? Yup. Some I kept, others I broke up based on chapter events. Smaller chapters let me emphasize events I had buried in longer chapters.

So, did I suddenly make best seller lists? Only in my dreams. But I think my chapters have a bit more punch. So, to finally answer your initial question, I think chapter length matters. But I don't do a word count.